Chapter 3
It's been tougher for Cherly to sleep, even before those pesky thugs had crashed her school. Night after night, she had tossed and turned, thinking about her past relationships (or, well, relationship, in Cherly's case). Out of all the lovely ladies she's had ever been smitten with, she has only managed to make it work with one very special girl – Heather.
When Cherly and Heather were together, it was like a rainbow burst through the clouds on a gloomy day. All the darkness that Cherly despises in the world suddenly vanished, and everything was filled with bright, beautiful colours. But now, those sleepless nights have left her feeling like a zombie with a caffeine addiction.
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“You won't believe it, Sweetpea! This girl picks fights with me out of nowhere, over the most basic stuff. And when I finally snap back, she runs straight to the bathroom like it's some kind of safe haven. Seriously, what gives?
I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt and be friends, but no dice. She straight up insulted me and called me 'greasy'. Can you even believe it? Like, excuse me, missy, have you looked in the mirror lately? Your face is 90% makeup, and you're coming at me for a little bit of shine?
But you know what they say, haters going to hate. I'll just keep shining bright like a diamond, and she can keep wallowing in her own negativity. Life's too short to deal with drama like that!”
Toni said, as she munched on her lunch in the hallway of the school, feeling empowered and confident in herself. After all, nothing can bring her down – not even the weird girl with the attitude problem.
Sweetpea let out a dramatic sigh as he leaned against the lockers. “I swear, I told you we should have gone to another school! This place isn't exactly made for people like us, you know what I'm sayin'?”
“But of course, nobody ever listens to Sweetpea. I am the voice of reason, the one with all the good ideas, but does anyone ever take me seriously? Nope. It's a tough life, being so smart and insightful all the time.
Speaking of tough, have you seen Fangs lately?” Sweetpea scanned the crowded hallways, his eyes darting around in search of his buddy. He couldn't help but worry – Fangs was always getting into trouble, and Sweetpea had a feeling that today might be no different.
But hey, at least they had each other, right? Sweetpea flashed a grin at Toni, slinging an arm around her shoulder. “Come on, let's go find Fangs before he gets himself into even more trouble. Who knows what kind of shenanigans he's up to now!”
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It's only been two days since they started at this school. And already, Fangs is up to some shenanigans! Who would have ever guessed that he'd be caught with his hand in another man's pants so soon.
Toni couldn't believe her eyes (or her nose, for that matter) when she stumbled upon the scene in the janitor's closet. “Fangs! What the heck, dude? That's totally gross!” she exclaimed, trying not to gag at the sight and smell of it all.
Fangs rolled his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh as Toni and Sweetpea barged into the janitor closet. “Oh, come on, guys,” he groaned, “can't a man get some privacy around here?”
“Just shut up and close the door, will ya?” he snapped, feeling his irritation rise. And to make matters worse, Sweetpea's expression was positively repulsed – as he'd just stepped in something nasty.
Fangs couldn't help but feel a little offended by the reaction. Sure, this wasn't exactly the best place to do things like this, but he didn't think it was that bad!
In any case, Fangs was relieved when the door finally clicked shut, and he was left alone with Kevin again. Man, sometimes he wished he could just disappear into his own little world.
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Wednesdays. They're not exactly Toni's favourite day of the week, but this one was just the absolute pits. First off, Cherly decided it was the perfect day to throw some insults her way in class – which, of course, Toni was not about to take lying down. Let's just say, the fiery redhead was not amused.
And as if that wasn't enough, when Toni tried to call Jughead to vent about her crappy day, something seemed off. He was distant and weird, and when she asked him what was up, he just brushed it off and said he was tired. But Toni could sense that something was definitely not right.
So she hung up the phone and trudged back to her shared room with Cherly. She was just planning on vegging out on the couch for a bit, but before she knew it, she had conked out right there in the middle of the room.
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It seems that Cherly is absolutely smitten with the pink-haired wonder, but she just can't quite figure out why. She watches this girl sleep for a solid thirty minutes – creepy or romantic? She didn't care.
But then, disaster strikes! The object of her affection shifts in her sleep, and Cherly springs into action. She jumps up and shouts at poor Toni, who's just trying to catch some z's on the couch. “Hey, get your Serpent body off my couch, pronto!” she barks.
Toni, sweet and confused as can be, tries to explain that she's just trying to rest. But Cherly is having none of it. “Listen up, lady,” she says as she grabs a pillow and heads for the bathroom. “When I get back, you better be gone. Got it?”
Toni scratched her head in confusion as she flopped down on her cosy bed. “I mean seriously, what's up with that girl?” she pondered aloud to herself. “I just can't seem to figure her out!”
It was true. Toni had been trying her darnedest to understand the mysterious girl. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't quite crack the code.
But as she drifted off to sleep, Toni couldn't help but smile. Sure, this girl was a puzzle, but that's what made her so intriguing. Maybe tomorrow she'd finally get a glimpse into what made her tick – or maybe not. Either way, Toni was up for the challenge.
Cherly couldn't help but let out a groan as she buried her face into the soft, fluffy pillow she had taken earlier. She had just snapped at someone, and she was feeling totally guilty about it – but dang, that sleepy face was just so darn cute!
As she lay thereon he cold floor of the bathroom, she couldn't help but replay the scene in her mind. Why did she have to be so short-tempered sometimes? It wasn't like the other person had done anything wrong.
Cherly let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes, trying to shake off the guilt.